


The Darkspawn Song

by mayaHDTV08



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 02:09:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7021600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayaHDTV08/pseuds/mayaHDTV08
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when the darkspawn song starts calling to Alistair sooner than expected? This short story follows Alistair's thoughts and actions as he begins to experience the Calling.</p>
<p>Alistair - King // Warden (Andromeda) - Queen</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Darkspawn Song

It started days ago. The ringing in his ears. Constant and distracting. Alistair had thought nothing of it, other than it being an annoyance. The king continued on as if nothing was bothering him besides the never ending flow of rich nobles who came to complain about the littlest of things. Days went by with no change in his behavior, no hesitation with his kindness and in humor. He only started showing signs of upset just that morning, and his queen noticed it. She knew him like the back of her hand. In fact, she could tell when he was upset before even he could most of the time.

Alistair was seated at the edge of their bed, head in his hands. He rubbed his temples to try and relieve the headache that had plagued him most of the night. Andromeda sat up and moved across the bed to his side, setting a tentative hand on his shoulder. The king was startled at first, looking back with wild eyes, like that of a deer at the end of a hunter's arrow. Even after he calmed a little, his muscles still felt tense under Andromeda's hand. She gave him a look of concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

Alistair sighed. "It's just a headache." He then set his hand atop of Andro's and looked back at her with one of his signature smirks. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

Although his words were comforting to hear and his expression was reassuring, it didn't sway Andro one bit because his eyes didn't follow the pattern. In his eyes, she could see pain.

That day dragged on agonizingly long for Alistair. The ringing in his ears became more prevalent and his headache refused to cease. The king had to pretend that nothing was annoying him other than the rich nobles complaining about their pointless problems like sharing a town with peasants or something. He could barely remember what half of them were talking about. He couldn't even concentrate on his own thoughts with the persistent ringing drowning out every sound.

When meals came around, Alistair was not his usual self much at all. Instead of being social and humorous, he was quiet and had lost his appetite. He didn't even spring for a chance to take a piece of cheese from the cheese platter. This greatly concerned Andromeda to the point where she confronted him again about it.

Alistair had returned to their room earlier than usual, claiming he was tired from the long day. He sat on the edge oh the bed, his head once again clutched in his hands like the morning before. The ringing had now turned into a low, hum that droned in his ears. Louder then softer, louder then softer. He winced with every fluctuation. But no one else could hear it, not even his beloved. She came to him and sat by his side.

"Alistair, please tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help." Andromeda said with care in her voice.

Alistair didn't respond for a couple of moments, and when he did it was nothing more than a pained grunt. He finally managed to strain a couple of words from his throat. He could barely hear himself speak over the droning hum that paraded in his mind. "I... It's...so loud..."

Andro furrowed her brow and knelt on the ground in front of him. "Alistair, what's going on?" Her voice shook and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"My head... The noise..." Alistair muttered. His skin was pale as a ghost's and had a sickly color to it. His fingers and toes had begun to darken in color, to blacken. The king winced and grimaced, his breathing quickening. Andro gasped and grabbed each of his wrists, trying to take his hands from his ears.

"Listen to me. Alistair, listen." she choked. "You're okay. You're going to be fine. What noise? What do your hear?"

Alistair let out a sharp yelp of pain. "The noise...! It's so..." Stop, _stop, stop!_ He yelled in his mind. And then it did. The noise completely vanished. "Quiet..."

His hands dropped from his ears and fell into his lap. His eyes stared blankly at his wife's face for a moment, and she started back all the same.

"Are you...alright?" she asked again. Alistair nodded slowly. His mind was void of sound now, dead quiet. And then came the whispers.

They started out quiet and incomprehensible. The king looked around the room for anyone else, but it was just him and his queen. No one else was anywhere in sight. Yet the whispers continued. They grew louder.

"Do you...hear that?" he asked. "The whispers?"

"The what?" Andro asked.

Alistair listened more intently. Trying to make out anything that could help him figure out what was going on.

> Garas to em'an. Fenedhis lasa.

 "That!" Alistair said. "Did you hear that? It sounds like elvish, right?" He looked at his beloved with hope in his bloodshot eyes and a smile on his face.

Andromeda looked up at him, her expression sad and full of pity. "Alistair... I don't hear anything..."

His smile faded, and his shoulder's slumped. "You...don't?" he asked softly. Andro didn't reply, but the whispers persisted.

> Mala suledin nadas nu i suffering. Garas to em'an.

The whispers swirled in his mind like a siren's song, beckoning to him. They repeated the same phrases over and over, louder and louder. Alistair's breathing quickened and his mind began telling him what to do. He clutched his head again. _Attack. Injure. Kill._ The same sequence of thoughts raced through his mind. _Make it to the Roads. The Roads in the Deep._ The king's skin began to darken to a purple faster. His veins began to run black under his skin, and his eyes began to yellow. Pain racked his entire body, but still the thoughts and whispers persisted.

> Garas to em'an. Garas to em'an. _Garas to em'an. Fenedhis lasa._

Louder and louder they sang, replacing any thought and any feeling with their song. Alistair screamed, "Get out of my head! Get _out_!" But nothing seemed to work. Louder and louder they persisted. Andromeda grabbed Alistair's shoulder and tried to hold him steady. "Alistair!" she sobbed. "Alistair...! Stop...!"

> _Garas to em'an._ _Garas to em'an. Fenedhis lasa._

Alistair yelled again. "Leave me alone!" His yelling turned to cries and pleas. "Go away!" Andromeda began to panic even further. He couldn't hear her, couldn't see her... He was suffering and she couldn't help. The whispers persisted further.

> _Garas to em'an. Fenedhis lasa._ _Garas to em'an. Fenedhis lasa._

Alistair fell to the ground and writhed upon the floor. Choked sobs and sounds of pain escaped his throat without any control. His veins were all black, filled with the taint. His eyes turned yellow and his pupil slit. Still, the whispers persisted.

 

> **_Fenedhis lasa._ _Fenedhis lasa._ _Fenedhis lasa._ **
> 
> ##  _**Fenedhis lasa.** _

Alistair finally had enough. "For all that is holy, ** _just leave me alone!_** "

And then the whispers stopped, and Alistair was left lying on the ground. He was completely quiet. Andromeda shook him slightly, tears in her eyes. "A-Alistair...?"

He remained silent. She looked him over, tears dropping down her cheeks. She had never wanted to see anyone suffer life this, especially not him. The one she loved with all she had. She sat quietly by his side, softly letting the tears continue to fall. She raised her shaking hand and gently set it upon his cold cheek. Suddenly, his glassy eyes darted to her, locking onto her own eyes. With a raspy, low, and gargling voice, he said,

## "Ma ghilani mir din’an."

And then his song ended.


End file.
